I’m Going on a Job Hunt…
Yes, it’s that time of year again: Time to apply for every engineering vacation work programme you can find, and send off some pleas to all the companies you can find that you want to work for.
I realise that über-companies like Shell and BP have an incontinently large number of applicants for a limited number of vacation work placements. But the online system for signing up is somewhat troublesome. First you have to give them your email address and make a password - which is the same as every other password you use - that you can use to access your application. Then it’s on to uploading your résumé (only Word or PDF thank you, and not larger than 1MB). Who has a résumé larger than 1MB? Is it possible to even make a résumé bigger than 1MB without including all your holiday snaps from last summer up at the lake? Mine’s only a measly 80KB!
After struggling with the little applet to upload your résumé, it’s on to filling in your personal details. This part is usually the least painful, with a well laid-out form and not too much typing. Even though my details are on my résumé. Next, on to the history of results - even though it’s in my résumé too - where you either have to upload a copy of your results (not too difficult really), or add each subject and result one-by-one until you fill all the little boxes. Oh what joy once the boxes are finally filled and you realise that you’ve forgotten a subject somewhere.
So after struggling through that, you think it’s the home straight. Oh no my friend, it’s on to the personality and teamwork questions for you! The reason these questions are so hard is that they are ever so slightly different for each employer. They pose a challenge that means a good half hour testing your responses in Word or Pages to make sure that they make grammatical sense, and yet actually answer the question. And to make sure that the person reading them won’t think you’re a complete bumbling fool.
Finally you’re on the downhill side of the application. Sort of. You now have to try and recall all those jobs you’ve had, who the manager was, and what your ‘Main Responsibilities’ were. I directed traffic. What else do you want from me? Should I say I was a “vehicle flow co-ordinator, responsible for the timely redirection of vehicles for their own and others safety”?
And after doing all of this, nine times out of ten the sever crashes and you have to repeat from the second paragraph. Fun.
Back to the job grindstone for me.
August 10th, 2006 at 6:15 am
Yeah, I looked at the Shell page last night, it was 11.45, and thought “no way, not now.”
And while we’re on web pages that disappoint, a word from the Ford Careers page…
“Unfortunetly Ford will not be offering any vacation positions over the 2006/2007 Summer. Please check our website again in October to confirm that no other Vacation positions have become available. Please consider our 12-month Cooperative Program if you are interested in gaining paid work experience as we have over 90 positions commencing in January 2007.”
Thanks,
~SST
August 10th, 2006 at 11:18 am
do they have those famous “cognitive ability tests” that test if you can pick the difference between boxes that look very similar to dice.
most of the time however, it’s not what you know but who you (cliche, stop givin’ me the evils) hence, if you can actually talk about someone else other than yourself, or at least look interested as someone else talks about themselves, hmm, sounds a lot like talking to women, you can normally pick up a job from industry nights.
and then again you can actually stop doing the cliched engineering thing and go with a lesser known company, or for that fact, a company you never really thought of. like working the gas production control plants with systems co-ordinators for origin energy.
after all, BP has shut down because they’re just the little engine that couldn’t atm, Ford came out with an AU, and Holden are about to find out what gambling is all about with their “billion dollar baby!” (no not a hotter version of that chick boxer)
August 11th, 2006 at 11:44 am
Oh hey, here’s a question. Can you get a placement in Canada? I will apparently be there as of January and we could get some serious partying underway. I will also volunteer to teach you how to snowboard for free (assuming that you can’t, in fact, snowboard already). Anyway, while my on my Mexican holiday at daddy’s hacienda, the law was laid down, “come home or you will be stricken from the will!” Not the exact words mind you, but use your imagination because its something along those lines… this all went down AFTER I asked for him to sponsor my Roman escapades this autumn. It wasn’t pretty.
Anyway, consider it because though it MAY be a tad chilly, winter is when Canada really shines.
August 14th, 2006 at 6:33 pm
Yeah, that would be wicked!! You know any people who need engineers to schlep for them for 6 weeks? Only problem is that I would probably need a visa to work in Canada, which I don’t currently have, or is there a reciprocal agreement between Canada and Australia/NZ?
I have also committed to being home for Christmas, so that also may make it tricky, but I’ll work on it…
August 15th, 2006 at 12:04 pm
Hmm… I’ll snoop around for the next couple weeks and see what I can find. I know a bunch of architects that know a bunch of engineers. What exactly would you be looking for?
I’m not sure about the entire Canadian visa situation, seeing as how I have never had the need to be informed… but I assume that it is probably similar to what I had to get to come to Australia. Or mabe not… I didn’t need a visa to go to your fair country and that may be a recirocal agreement. however I wasn’t working there, merely drinking all of your wine and jumping off tall things with an elastic strapped to my feet.
Anyway, if it is the same as my Australian one, it should be a quick and painless online application with a small fee. Easiest visa I’ve ever obtained, and trust me… I’ve had to get a few of them. American Student Work visas are the worst… WAY too many forms to fill and meetings with strangers and the flaming hoop? Well, jumping through that was a bit too much.
August 17th, 2006 at 11:18 am
Yes, it is that time of the month again for me too. i am sitting in the eng labs doing the job hunt right this minute! although the corps that i am interested in working with are qutie different as would be expected.
This is the first time i have bothered to find your site and i think it is quite cool! go go USA! i had a tui the other day with a kiwi mate - it just isnt the same coming out of a bottle!
August 18th, 2006 at 11:46 pm
Dude. I never EVER want to hear from you, “yes, it is that time of the month again…”
Kapisch?
~SST